Hearts and Hooves Day
by guppygirl
Summary: After the disaster of Hearts and Hooves Day last year, the Cutie Mark Crusaders are officially done meddling in other ponies' love lives. So what will occur when these ponies are left to their own devices? Twilight SparklexFlash Sentry ApplejackxCaramel Rainbow DashxSoarin' RarityxOC (temporarily) Slight RarityxSpike FluttershyxBig Macintosh Pinkie PiexPokey Pierce
1. Chapter 1

At ten o'clock in the morning, the doorbell to the Golden Oaks library rang. Twilight, who had been awake since seven, looked up from the book she had been reading. Her horn ignited with magenta magic, and the door swung open. She gasped, accidentally knocking her book to the floor.

Her doorway appeared to be occupied by a massive bouquet of twenty-four large lavender roses. A familiar voice called from behind them, "Special delivery!" Then the bouquet lowered, and an orange face smiled at her.

"Flash Sentry!" Twilight grinned. "Why are you here?"

"I got leave to come to Ponyville." Flash offered the roses again, and Twilight, blushing, took them. The bouquet hovered awkwardly beside her for a moment. "I'll – get a vase," Twilight said quickly. She ducked out of the room, filled a large cut-glass vase with water in the hidden kitchen, and managed to fit the thornless roses inside. She carried it out again and found Flash still standing in the same spot, wings folded as he glanced around at the books. Setting the vase on the table, she asked, "So, how come you decided to come to Ponyville?"

"Well, it's Hearts and Hooves Day," said Flash Sentry simply. "I wanted to know if you'd be my special somepony."

Twilight's face burned red. "R-Really? Nopony's ever asked me to be their special somepony before..."

Flash Sentry cocked his head at her. "Really? Well, loss for them." Opening his wings again, he added, "I was thinking that we could head up to Cloudsdale, maybe fly around a bit..."

Twilight glanced at her own wings. "Actually, I don't really know how to fly," she confessed.

"I'll teach you," offered Flash Sentry with a genial smile. "I also wanted to show you a really nice park up there... and maybe afterwards, we could stop at a café for lunch?"

Twilight smiled. "Sounds wonderful," she said. "Let me leave Spike a quick note, first."

"Your pet baby dragon?" Flash Sentry asked as she began assembling her quill, ink pot, and paper.

"I think of him as an assistant, actually," explained Twilight. "My owl, Owlowicious, is my pet." She wrote a quick note and put it beside the vase. Then she smiled at him. "Let's go!"

Rarity was outside, trotting towards the library. "Ah, Twilight! I was wondering if you could help me with –" She froze, catching sight of Flash Sentry. "It can wait," she said quickly; she backed up a few steps, then suddenly galloped away.

"That was... Rarity. Right?" Flash Sentry glanced at Twilight, who nodded. "She can be a little odd at times," Twilight said. "I wouldn't worry about it."

Nodding, Flash Sentry asked, "So, since you're new at flying, do you have a better way to get to Cloudsdale?"

"Well, before I got the wings, my friends and I just borrowed Pinkie Pie's hot air balloon," said Twilight. "If we could run over to Sugarcube Corner, I'll ask her about it."

"Lead the way," said Flash Sentry with a grin.

A few minutes later, they were parking the balloon in Cloudsdale. "Ready when you are," said Flash Sentry, opening his wings.

"Ready as I'll ever be," responded Twilight, opening her own.

"Well, since you're really smart," began Flash Sentry (Twilight blushed again), "you probably already know that birds move their wings in a circular motion. Pegasi do the same thing."

"Ah!" Twilight's face lit up in understanding, and she began to slowly circle her wings. "Like this?"

"Smaller circles," Flash Sentry coached. "Good. Now, when you're ready for the take-off, just push a little harder on the downstroke."

Twilight nodded, but she stayed on the cloud for a few moments longer, gathering courage. Finally, she pushed off and found herself in the air. She wobbled a little, and Flash reached out with a hoof to steady her. "Careful," he said gently. Twilight nodded, stabilizing herself. He took to the air as well, and slowly, they both began to gain altitude. Twilight glanced over at Flash Sentry, and he gave her a reassuring smile. She returned the smile, emboldened.

And then she looked down.

A _long_ way down.

Twilight's wings missed a beat, and that was all it took to send her tumbling through the air. They were at the edge of Cloudsdale – if she missed the edge of the clouds, nothing would be there to stop her from hitting the ground. She closed her eyes as she felt her tail brush the edge of the cloud. _No!_

Suddenly, her fall was broken as a pair of hooves caught her. She looked up into a pair of concerned blue eyes. "Are you okay?"

"I am now." Twilight regretted the word as soon as they were out of her mouth – how stupid-sounding could you get? Flash, however, seemed relieved. "Okay. You want to take a break?"

"No," Twilight took a deep breath and pulled back. He drew slightly closer, as though to make sure that she wasn't going to fall again. "I'm okay," she assured him. "I just need to remember not to look down."

"You'll get used to it," said Flash. "In the meantime, how would you like a quick tour of Cloudsdale?"

"Sounds good to me." Twilight smiled at him, and he returned the grin. Together, they flew up to Cloudsdale again, where Flash Sentry taught Twilight how to glide. They soared over Cloudsdale, and he pointed out the various buildings. Twilight, however, only half-listened, instead preferring to just watch him. His face was very animated as he pointed out the areas he knew so well from his foalhood.

At one point, he glanced over and caught her staring at him. Twilight could feel herself blushing furiously, but before she had time to react, he gave her a smile. "Come on," he told her. "The park's just down there." He swooped down, and a flustered Twilight followed.

She banked sharply before coming in and felt her wing twinge. "Ow!" she cried.

"Are you all right?" Flash Sentry turned quickly, looking concerned again.

Twilight nodded. "I'm just not used to the idea of standing on clouds," she said quickly.

Flash Sentry nodded as though familiar with the thought, though he'd been standing on clouds since he was a colt. "It's just one of those things you have to get adjusted to." He waved a hoof towards the path ahead of them. "Shall we?"

Twilight nodded.

The park was amazing. All sorts of beautiful plants grew with the aid of magic. Cloud sculptures stood everywhere, and in the center was an amazing cloud fountain. They sat down on one of the surrounding benches, and Flash Sentry pulled out a bit. "Make a wish," he said.

Twilight nodded again, looking at the coin in his hoof. _I wish..._

Her gaze slipped away from the coin, once again returning to his face. He smiled at the bit as he considered his wish. Twilight, however, already knew what hers was.

"Ready?" He turned to look at her, and, startled, she nodded. He tossed the bit into the air with a flip, and the shiny gold coin made an arch through the air before splashing into the water.

They sat by the fountain and made light chat for a few minutes. Then he looked up at the sun. "Nearly noon," he commented.

Twilight was surprised. Had it been two hour already? It felt like only two minutes.

"Come on," said Flash Sentry suddenly, reaching out and brushing her hoof with his. "There's a very cool little café I want to show you."

The café was a cozy little place. The owner clearly knew Flash well, and was very friendly towards Twilight. "What can I get you two?" she asked with a grin.

"Um." Twilight quickly scanned her menu. "I'll take a glass of lemon water and a daisy sandwich, please." She would have liked a side of hay fries, but she didn't want to seem like she was pigging out.

"The usual," said Flash with a smile to the owner, who grinned in response before taking the menus. Twilight secretly thought that his easy smile and sweet nature were pretty attractive.

"So, what's the usual?" she inquired.

"Oh, I almost always get the same thing when I'm here," Flash said with a smile. "A glass of ice water, a lettuce and tomato sandwich... and this place serves the best coffee cake you can get in Equestria."

"Sounds yummy," said Twilight with a small smile.

Their food arrived rather quickly, and both dug in. The silence was companionable instead of awkward, and Twilight couldn't help thinking how nice it was.

When dessert came, Flash requested a second fork. He split the coffee cake with Twilight, who found it awfully romantic.

It was about half-past noon when they strolled out of the café. Flash Sentry smiled at Twilight. "Have a good time?"

Twilight nodded yet again. "This was great."

"Well, we should probably head back," Flash said, though he sounded a bit reluctant. "That book you were reading looked really good, and I bet you're eager to finish it."

The book had completely slipped Twilight's mind, but she now agreed, "Yeah..."

The balloon ride back was filled with idle chitchat. Twilight racked her brains to think of something good to talk about – _come on, you've only got a few minutes left!_ – but nothing presented itself, and too soon they were standing at the doorway of the Golden Oaks Library.

"Well, I guess I'll see you later," said Flash Sentry reluctantly.

"Yeah," said Twilight again. She thanked him one last time and turned to go.

"Twilight?"

"Yes?" She turned to look at him, saw him take a hesitant half-step forward. Then, he seemingly decided against something. "I'll write you a letter, okay?"

Twilight felt a warm glow inside. "Okay. Sounds great."

Flash Sentry gave her a quick salute and set off for Canterlot once more. Twilight watched him go. Then she turned and headed inside. Spike was home, and very glad to see her again. "How did it go?" he asked.

"Pretty well, I think," Twilight answered unsurely – after all, she'd never been on a date before. She extended her wings, wincing slightly as a needle of pain stabbed through one of them. "I think I may have sprained one of my wings, though – too sharp of a landing. Can you get some ice for me, Spike?"

"Of course!" Spike headed out.

Suddenly, the door flew open, and in rushed Rarity. "Twilight! You're back!"

"Oh, hey, Rarity," Twilight said with a smile, taking a seat on the floor.

"I need details," Rarity demanded. "Don't leave _anything_ out!"

Twilight laughed. "There aren't many details to tell, Rarity. He taught me a bit about flying –" she pushed aside the memory of him catching her, " – we went to a park –" his smile as he tossed the bit into the fountain filled her mind, " – and we went to a café." She remembered splitting the coffee cake with him and how he'd laughed at her initial hesitation. She glanced at Rarity, who was clearly not buying a second of it, and insisted, "That's all. Really."

"Mm-hmm," Rarity said skeptically.

Spike re-entered. "Here you go, Twilight," he said, handing her a bag of ice. Taking it, she thanked him and placed it against her wing.

A gasp from Rarity caught Twilight's attention. Outraged, Rarity declared, "Why, that _barbarian_! What did he do to your wing?!"

"What?!" gasped Twilight, shocked. "No, Rarity – I pulled it when I came in for too steep of a landing!"

"Oh," said Rarity, visibly calmed. "Well, then. Did you kiss?"

Twilight could feel her whole face turning scarlet. "N-No!" After a pause, she dipped her head and said, "Though... he did promise to send a few letters..."

Rarity squealed. "Oh, Twilight's growing up on us!"

"Aw, leave me alone," Twilight grumbled. Still, as Rarity excused herself and headed out once more, Twilight found her thoughts returning to those letters with eagerness.

_My faraway knight..._


	2. Chapter 2

"Okay, Spike," the young dragon told himself. "You can do this." He took a deep breath and knocked on the door.

When it opened, he began, "Hey, Rarity, I..." He suddenly trailed off as he caught sight of the bouquet of red, pink, and white roses floating beside her.

"Ah, hello, darling," Rarity said with a dreamy, preoccupied smile. "Did you need something?"

"I, uh..." Spike shifted the giant gem behind his back to be better hidden. "Who gave you those flowers?"

"Oh," said Rarity as her blue eyes lit up, "they're from a _secret admirer!_ Isn't that romantic?!"

Spike wished he could sink into the ground. "Um..."

Rarity suddenly gasped. "You know what? I bet Twilight could help me figure out who it is! Thank you for helping me to think of it, Spike!" Rarity galloped off.

"Wait!" Spike ran to catch up. Hopefully, he could show her along the way that he wanted her to be his special somepony.

"Ah, Twilight!" called Rarity as she approached the library. Spike was coming around the corner. "I was wondering if you could help me with –"

Rarity stopped so abruptly that Spike ran right into her. She was staring at an orange Pegasus colt who had exited the library after the lavender Alicorn. "It can wait," Rarity said quickly. She backed up slowly, then suddenly turned and bolted off, Spike running to stay with her.

"What was that all about?" he demanded.

"Why, Spike, our Twilight has a date!" Rarity exclaimed. "Aw, she's growing up on us!"

Spike waved a claw. "You saw how silly she was over that stallion when she came back through the mirror," he said airily. "I'm honestly not surprised."

Rarity chuckled. "True. But then, who's going to help me find out who my secret admirer is?"

Spike blinked as he remembered what was going on. "Oh. Um..."

"PINKIE PIE!" Rarity suddenly cried out. "Of course! With those extrasensory abilities of hers, she'll be able to figure him out in a jiffy!"

"Nope."

The pink mare gave Rarity and Spike a smile as they stood there, staring at her.

"You don't know anything?" Rarity repeated, disbelief and disappointment filling her tone.

"Not a clue. Sorry." Pinkie Pie reached below the counter, producing a small heart-shaped cake. "Here, though – on the house."

"Thank you, Pinkie, but I –" Rarity began.

"OH!" Pinkie Pie's eyes shot wide as her eyes began to wink, one after the other. "OHOHOHOHOH!"

"What is it, Pinkie?" Rarity asked, confused and somewhat worried.

"Whoever wrote that letter is _in the shop_!" whispered Pinkie.  
"WHAT?!" shrieked Rarity.

"SH!" Pinkie whispered frantically. "The twins are asleep, don't wake them up!"

"Sorry," whispered Rarity, glancing around. Suddenly, her eyes landed on a pony she had never seen before. He was a unicorn with a midnight black coat, hair the color of the sky, and eyes like amber. His cutie mark was an indigo hot air balloon. He was one of the most handsome ponies Rarity had ever seen.

"That's him!" whispered Pinkie.

Rarity approached him. "H-Hello," she began. "My name is Rarity."

The stallion smiled at her, melting her heart. "Pleased to meet you, Miss Rarity. My name is Midnight Moon," he responded in a deep, musical voice.

Rarity fluttered her eyes at him, her heart pounding. "So, crazy story – this morning, I got a dozen gorgeous roses this morning from a secret admirer! Do you have any clue who that might be?"

Suddenly, Midnight Moon looked worried. "Was the bouquet red, white, and pink?"

"Why, yes!" exclaimed Rarity, her blue eyes lighting up. "How did you –"

"I should've known better than to give those to that blind pony." muttered Midnight. Raising his head, he said, "I'm sorry, but there's been a misunderstanding. Those roses were meant for somepony else."

"Oh," Rarity said, trying not to look disappointed. "Might I ask who?"

Midnight Moon's eyes lit up. "There's this amazing Pegasus mare I've seen around town here on visits through. She has a very nice gray coat, a gorgeous golden mane, and very unique yellow eyes –"

"Why, do you mean Derpy?" gasped Rarity.

"Oh, you know her?" The stallion grinned. "Well, sorry for the mix-up, anyhow. I'll go see what I can do about getting some more roses..." He headed out of the shop without a second thought.

"Aw, sorry, Rarity," said a sympathetic Pinkie Pie. "That's rough."

Rarity dipped her head. "Usually, I always get cards..." she confessed quietly, "but this year, it seems like everypony has a special somepony... everypony but me."

Spike stepped forward. "Um, Rarity?"

Rarity looked up. "Yes, Spike?"

"Here," Spike said quickly, pulling out the large gem he had hidden before. It was an opal about half the size of his face. "I want you to have this."

Rarity gasped. "It's... It's the perfect final touch for that dress I was stuck on! Thank you, Spikey-Wikey! Thank you thank you thank you!" She plopped a kiss on his cheek and ran off to attach the gem to her dress, while Spike stood still for a long moment. Then, with a somewhat dopey grin, he headed home, wondering when Twilight would be back from her date with Flash.


End file.
